Illuminating device for telephone dials



April 21, 1953 L. MANCINI ILLUMINATING DEVICE FOR TELEPHONE DIALS Filed Dec. 20, 1949 IIIIIIIIII IN V EN TOR.

w C M M y w L VI/IIIIA 44 Patented Apr. 21, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE 1 ILLUMINATING DEVICE For; TELEPHONE DIALS Lory Mancini, Los Angeles, Calif. Application December 20, 1949, Serial No. 134,067

This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structural refinements intelephones, and the principal object of the invention is to efiiciently illuminate the dial of a telephone instrument so that the same may be manipulated without error in darkness, that is, without the conventional necessity of illuminating the entire room wherein such instrument is located.

This object is achieved by the provision of the instant device which, in the manner of an attachment, may be installed on the dial of a telephone instrument, an important feature of the invention residing in the provision of a dry battery for supplying current to .an electric lamp so that the entire device is fully self-contained and in readiness for use notwithstandingfailure of electric supply to the premises.

some of the advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity of construction, in its convenient and efficient operation, in its pleasing appearance, and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

With the above more important objects and features in view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of a telephone instrument showing the invention in situ thereon.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the invention.

Figure 3 is a sectional detail, taken substantially in the plane of the line 3-3 in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional detail, taken substantially in the plane of the line 4-4 in Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a sectional detail, taken substantially in the plane of the line 5-5 in Figure 1.

Like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts in the specification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the general reference character I a designates the base of a conventional telephone instrument, provided with a stationary dial member I 2 (see Figure 5) and with a rotatable dial member !4 which is spaced above the stationary member and is equipped with a set of finger receiving apertures I6 through which are visible the usual indicia l8 on the stationary member 12, as will be clearly apparent. In addition, the usual finger stop 2|] extends upwardly from the stationary member l2 over the rotatable member 1 Claim. (o1. zitan) l4, and the instant'invention involves the provision of an illuminating device for the dial assemb1y, which device is designated generally by the reference character 22.

The device 22 assumes the nature of an attachment and embodies in its construction an expansible and contractable annular frame 24 which is provided on the outer surface of one end portion thereof with a hook-shaped finger piece 26, the latter being lockably engageable with a detent 28 provided on the outer surface of the remaining end portion of the frame, as is clearly shown in Figure 1. The diameter of the frame 24 is such as to fit snugly on the periphery of the stationary dial member [2, in which position the frame is firmly retained as soon as the finger piece 26 is engaged with the detent 28. However, the inside diameter of the frame 24 is sufficiently large to facilitate rotation of the dial member l4, and it is to be also noted that the end portions of the frame are recessed as at 30 to provide clearance for the finger stop 20, as illustrated in Figure 1. The frame 24 is provided with an opening or aperturef32 which is disposed between the dial members l2, l4 and accommodates an outerend portion of an incandescent lamp or bulb 36. This lamp is positioned in a tubular socket 38 which is secured to the outer surface of the frame 24 in coaxial register with the opening 34 and, if desired, a dome-shaped cap or cover 40 may be provided on the socket, primarily for the purpose of closing the open outer end 42 of the socket, as is illustrated in Figure 2.

It is to be understood that the lamp 36 fits tightly into the socket 38, but may be removed therefrom, together with a conductor 50, by simply removing the cover 40 and screw 54, and it also being understood that the socket 38 is formed from insulating material.

A tubular battery housing 44 is also secured to the outer surface of the frame 24 substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the socket 38, and a dry battery 46 is removably positioned in this housing. A cover or jacket 48 is provided on the housing for the purpose of closing the outer end of the housing through which the battery may be withdrawn after the cover is removed, it being noted that the shell" of the battery 46 is in contact with an end portion of a conductor 50 which is inserted in the housing 44. The conductor 50 extends through a slot 5| into the socket 38 and is coiled around the base of the lamp 36 as shown, while the center post or terminal 52 of the battery is en-- gageable by a switch element or screw 54 extending tranversely through the socket 38 and electrically engaging the terminal 56 of the lamp 36, as is best illustrated in Figure Accordingly, when the element or screw 54, provided with an enlarged head 58, is tightened so as to engage the terminal 52 of the battery, the circuit to the lamp 36 will be completed and the lamp will be energized, the light rays emanating therefrom as indicated at 69, 62 in Figure 1, illuminating the space between the dial members l2, l4 so that the indicia 18 are clearly visible. On the other hand, by simply loosening the screw 54, the circuit is broken and the lamp 313 is extinguished.

The screw 54 operatively. engages screw'threads provided in the socket 38, and it is to be noted that the cap or cover 40 is provided with a pair of diametrically opposed longitudinally extending and open ended slots '64, 66 whereby the cap or cover may be removed from thesocket 38 notwithstanding the provision of the transversely extending screw '54.

A suitable reflector or mirror 68 is provided on the inner surface of the frame 24 at a point spaced circumferentially from the opening 34, the purpose of this mirror being to reflect the light rays 69 emanating from the lamp 36 into a lateral direction as indicated at 1'0 in Figure 1, thus assuring a substantially even distribution of light in the space between the dial members l2, 14.

Finally, it is to be noted that the frame 24 is preferably coated with luminous material of any suitable type, whereby it may emit glow to facilitate locating of the telephone instrument in a dark room, without the necessity of turning on the room lights.

It is believed that the advantages and use of the invention will be clearly apparent from the foregoing disclosure and accordingly, further description thereof at this point is deemed unnecessary.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described the claimed as new is:

A device for illuminating the dial of a telephone instrument, said device comprising an expansible and contractible annular frame adapted to be positioned on a dial, a cylindrical battery case secured tangentially to the outer surface of said frame, a cylindrical lamp socket secured to the outer surface of said frame at a point spaced circumferentially from said case and having its axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of the case, a lamp supporting helix provided in said socket and including a wire-like extension projecting outwardly from the socket invention, what is #and into said case to contact a battery in the latter, said frame being provided with an opening in register with the axis of said socket whereby light rays emanating from a lamp in said helix may enter the interior of said frame, and a combined switching and lamp retaining screw extending transversely of the socket in alignment with the axis of saidcase to electrically engage a battery therein.

LORY MANCINI.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 'Name Date 1,151,201 Lincoln Aug. 24, 1915 1,267,248 Monighan May 21, 1918 1,828,107 'E verts 1- Oct. 20, 1931 1,833,135 Strock Nov. 24, 1931 1,866,157 Ford July 5, 1932 1,961,474 Baum June 5, 1934 2,061,097 Fordy ce 'Nov. 17, 1936 2,259,148 Burkhart Oct. 14, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 620,739 England Mar. 29, 1949 

